Country Profiles

Comments on the Attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kabul

Remarks

Ryan C. CrockerAmbassador to Afghanistan

Washington, DC

September 14, 2011

They got into a building and did some harassment fire on us and ISAF. You know, this really is not a very big deal. (It was) a hard day for the embassy and my staff, who behaved with enormous courage and dedication. But look, you know a half a dozen RPG rounds from 800 meters away that isn't Tet (Offensive), that's harassment. If that's the best they can do, you know, I think it's actually a statement of their weakness and more importantly since Kabul is in the hands of Afghan security, it's a real credit to the Afghan National Security Forces.

You can't keep every evil-doer out of the city. When you do have an insurgency that's going on in the country. It's particularly hard to do when they have safe havens. And the information available to us, is that these attackers, like those who carried out the bombing in Wardak are part of the Haqqani network, they enjoy safe haven in Northern Waziristan. It's tough when you're trying to fight an insurgency that has a lot of support outside of your own national borders.

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